007 [Video] / [Backdated to before boss battle]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Eraqus's communicator switches on suddenly in the middle of the night, although this is due to Kura, his Hebby Repp. Apparently, there is some to-do going on in the room next to the bedroom...]

[Most of the large pile of Spirits are snoozing, all except for the newest, Shikara. The Flowbermeow is bouncing quickly around Chuza, trying to get the Meow Wow to wake up. Come on, what if master is having nightmares again? They should go check on him! Except Chuza, being the laziest Spirit on Mars herself, is fast asleep. She tries bouncing on Chuza, but no go.]

[Obviously, this requires extra hands. Shikara then proceeds to use that boundless energy to stir awake all the other Spirits she can find...Gengo, Jyunai, Soemon, the new adopted additions Ma-ti and Linka, and of course Kura is already up. Only Yaza is nowhere to be found. Shikara bounces around, sharing that excitement. Come on, guys! If we all jump, that will wake up Chuza! Then master will have two Meow Wows being all responsible!]

[At first, just Ma-ti joins in, rolling into Chuza. That does nothing, so Linka tries bouncing on her head. Still nothing. Eventually, Soemon and Gengo begin bouncing too, all while Jyunai just scolds them in the corner. However, with both a Kooma Panda and a Thunderaffe all stomping along with the others, it's enough weight and motion to shake the entire house. Chuza doesn't wake up...but Eraqus does, and he comes storming in a moment later.]

What in the worlds is going on here?!

[Every Spirit stops in place and looks up at him. Oops, caught red-pawed. He notices the light coming from the switched-on communicator, and just buries his face in one palm, looking exasperated.]

Comments

[letteropener]

Oh, in the sleeping worlds, I'm sure time of day has nothing to do with it... just the time that would be most inconvenient to you.

[She says that, but in truth, behind her Hero and Dizzy are curled up in a pile, snoozing as contentedly as can be. Then again, if she really was already up, maybe her point is all the more accurate for the fact.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

I suspect that would be the case for many of them. [He does glance down towards Chuza, who is still asleep. This wouldn't be so bad if Chuza didn't nap all the time when needed, too.]

[letteropener]

I have been considering crafting a third one, but perhaps with my sister's and mine combined, we might find ourselves in a similar situation as you. And my poor sister shorts herself on sleep enough as it is.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

I suppose it depends on what kind you get...although all of my attempts to determine personality by type haven't been too successful thusfar.

Hmm, she does need to consider her own rest as much regard as she does others'.

[letteropener]

As I've told her many times. But walking in dreams is a duty of the Princess of the Night, and as we have so little opportunity to do anything else we're supposed to do here, I can't really blame her for attending it so strictly.

[If he asks whether Celestia's voice contains relief, or frustration, she wouldn't be able to answer him. On the one hoof, she's enjoying this period of relative rest and freedom; on the other, centuries of duty have ingrained themselves into her so thoroughly that without being Princess to a kingdom, she isn't even sure who or what she is.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

I suppose I can understand the sentiment. [He's definitely felt that same sense of duty, coupled with that extra frustration of not knowing whether his actions will ultimately have any impact, considering his complete non-future.] Just as long as she remembers that taking care of herself first is a necessity for assisting others.

[letteropener]

So I've said, but that seems to make it a challenge of how much she can give before she needs to look after herself. After all, exhaustion and a lack of sleep will eventually go away when she is needed less. [Celestia rolls her eyes, letting Luna's assertion-by-action speak for itself otherwise.] But she was also kept from her duty for a very long time, and I was not able to do it in her absence. I can't truly blame her for wanting to do it, even as I worry about her.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

I suppose as long as she trusts those around her to point out when she does need rest, and to listen, then we can trust her to continue her job without completely exhausting herself.

[letteropener]

We're working on that. Luna can be... headstrong.

[By Celestia's grin and her wry tone, Eraqus could certainly hear that final word meant, "stubborn as ten mules who had taken lessons from Iron Will".]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[He remembers some of his earliest dealings with her, too.] Yes, I think that would be the appropriate word for her.

[letteropener]

We should be grateful that experience and wisdom have taught the pair of us to be much less so.

[NOW she's teasing him. And herself, in turn.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Aaaand he can tell. There's something almost like a smirk in his expression.]

I would certainly say that I am grateful.

[letteropener]

[At least he can unbend just a little. She'd started to wonder. But that also leads her to another chain of thought...]

If you don't mind me keeping you up a little longer, I have been meaning to ask you more about the title of 'Master'. If you're willing to speak of it, as I don't mean to pry.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Well, he's already awake, anyway. And it's not a question that's going to hurt anything.]

No, that's quite all right. What specifically did you want to know?

[letteropener]

Would 'everything' be too bold? [Celestia hadn't lost her sense of curiosity and wonder even after all this time, only learned to hide it behind the princessly mask.] But I have noticed that even other wielders of the Keyblade tend to address you with formal respect, beyond that which they extend each other. I was curious about the rankings, there.

[hiptobe_eraqus]

Rankings among Keybearers aren't terribly complicated. There is master and apprentice. A Master Keybearer can choose an apprentice through the Rite of Inheritance, usually given to young children. The apprentice -or apprentices- train under their master until they are deemed experienced enough to try for the title on their own, and training usually takes many years.

An apprentice earns the rank of master once they pass an exam called the Mark of Mastery, which can be administered by any master, but most typically their own. The exam differs depending on who administers it, and it is up to the master giving it whether the apprentice passes.

Masters are also beholden to important knowledge and skill, and these are not shared with other Keybearers until they become a Keyblade Master themselves.

[letteropener]

[This is excellent information. Much of it she had already suspected or guessed, but confirmation is always nice, especially when assumptions can be dangerous. But still, it doesn't quite answer what she really wants to know.]

Of all the keyblade wielders here, you are the only one who routinely is named with the title. I'm not entirely certain I've heard another one named such. Are you the only one of them who is a Master?

[hiptobe_eraqus]

Aqua is a Keyblade Master as well...as far as I know, the only other one present here. [There was that business with Riku, but he seems to be gone now...]

And in that case, I guess it is just a matter of timing. She hasn't been Master for too long, and considering she was formerly my apprentice, in my case I believe it's simply old habits dying hard.

The other Keybearers should address her as such, though.

[letteropener]

She didn't strike me as the sort who would want the formality.

[Celestia could understand that sentiment, keenly enough to voice her opinion.]

So the others who use the Keyblade are still all technically apprentices, then. And with only two Masters here to properly train them. [Which may be happening without her knowledge, she fully admits, but she's never seen any signs of such training.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

Whether she asks people to address her as Master or not is her choice. As to some of the other, younger ones... [His tone becomes a lot more solemn.] ...It seems they weren't trained by proper Masters to begin with. I'm not surprised they didn't know the formalities.

Yes, technically. [Again, his tone is somber.] ...I was training Ventus more thoroughly, while he was still here. As for the others, proper training normally takes many years. It's not something that one can enter into on a whim. [Basically, he'll train if asked, but he's not going to offer, because this is not at all a conducive learning environment.]

[letteropener]

[Celestia can understand that point, although she isn't certain she agrees with it. After all, proper training in magic takes a lifetime, yet if anypony approached her and asked to study under her, she would gladly grant them the favor.]

[But Keyblades and unicorn magic are very different things.]

You spoke of a Rite of Inheritance. How literal is that? Does an apprentice simply 'inherit' the Master's knowledge and skill from their training, or does the Master pass on their Keyblade itself in time?

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Eraqus isn't sure how specific he should be or not...it's a little difficult to explain without seeing it in action. That, and he can't help thinking back to such events with his own students.]

I suppose you would say it is a literal rite, performed with the Master's Keyblade. The apprentice needs to touch the Keyblade, and the master needs to promise through words and intent the inheritance. If both accept it, in time the apprentice gains the ability to summon their Keyblade on their own.

It's a very personal event, for both master and student.

[letteropener]

So eventually, the use of the Keyblade could die out, if Masters do not perform this rite, or if students are unable to learn the rite to perform it.

[Celestia isn't quite certain exactly what ratio of concern for their current situation to personal curiosity is inspiring her questions, but so long as Master Eraqus is willing to speak, she intends to keep inquiring. At the very least, if Keyblade-wielders travel between worlds as a rule, she may one day find herself dealing with one in the waking world.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

I fear the numbers have already thinned significantly. There were very few when I was training my students... [He pauses, sounding solemn.] And from I have heard, even fewer in the future.

Although I think it is less due to Masters not performing the rite, and more due to lack of Masters.

[letteropener]

Do forgive my curiosity if I'm stepping deeper than I should in my inquiries, but -- what is involved in the training of a Keyblade wielder? It cannot all be simple swordsponyship.